Advocating for language and communication access for Michigan’s Children
The Michigan Coalition for Deaf, Hard of Hearing’s, and DeafBlind People’s Legislative Committee introduced Michigan House Bill 4944 and 4963, which are integral components of a collaborative legislative initiative aimed at advocating for language and communication access coverage for children in Michigan. The bills highlight the necessity of early intervention and access to hearing services, making it easier for families. Our mission is to raise awareness and advocate for these bills to pass in Michigan.
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Current Status: House has passed bills HB4944 & HB4963!
Next step: going to the SIHC or to the Senate for a vote
Why do we need Let MI Child Hear?
Status Updates
- 12/03/2024 House Update:
- House has passed bills HB4944 & HB4963! Now we wait to see when it goes to the SIHC or to the Senate for a vote.
- 02/07/2024 MHIC Update:
- House Insurance Committee has passed bills HB4944 & HB4963! Now we wait to see when it goes to the House floor to be voted on.
- 01/28/2024 MHIC Update:
- House Insurance Committee will vote in February
- 11/10/2023 MIHC Update:
- House Insurance Committee now has two vacant seats that need to be filled. Committee will not reconvene until seats are filled. Could take up to 120 days to fill the seats. Now hoping for February or March vote. Stay tuned and continue to spread awareness.
- 11/09/2023 MHIC Update:
- House Insurance Committee has cancelled their session. Hoping for vote at 11/16 meeting.
- 11/02/2023 MHIC Update:
- House Insurance Committee has pushed the vote back another week.
- 10/26/2023 MHIC Update:
- House Insurance Committee has cancelled their session since the House cancelled their session.
- 10/19/2023 MHIC Update:
- House Insurance Committee took testimony on House Bill 4944 & 4963. The testimonies were very well received.
Show Your Support
If you support these bills, we urge you to send a short personalized email of support to your state representative. Members need to know their constituents are behind these bills. Remember to keep your memo short and clear.
Click Here for sample letters.
Next steps for us:
House Bills 4944 and 4963 have been passed by the House! We are now waiting for the bills to be brought to either the Senate Insurance Committee or to the Senate floor for a vote.
Please continue to spread awareness during this process. The letters and text messages are a vital way to show your Representative that you support these bills. See below for other ways to show your support.
Let MI Child Hear Bills (Passed the House, waiting on Seante Sponsors and Contacts)
There are approximately 400 children in Michigan every year who either have hearing loss or will acquire one by school age. With the assistance of hearing aids and early intervention services, the vast majority of these Deaf and Hard of Hearing children can achieve speech and language milestones equivalent to those of typically hearing children by the age of five. Currently, 28 states have enacted laws that ensure insurance coverage for children’s hearing aids. We are advocating for Michigan to join these states.
Michigan House Bill 4944 would require hearing aid coverage for children through eighteen years old. Michigan House Bill 4963 would require hearing related services and devices for children which include ear molds, remote microphone, speech and language pathology and audiology services. You can find detailed information about these bills below.
HIB-4944-HEARING AIDS
House Sponsors: Dale Zorn (district 34), Samantha Steckloff, Veronica Paiz, Jason Morgan, Kelly Breen, Noah Arbit, Carrie Rheingans, John Fitzgerald, Curtis VanderWall, Erin Byrnes, Emily Dievendorf, Stephanie A. Young
Senate Sponsors: TBD
HIB-4963 HEARING-RELATED-SERVICES-DEVICES
House Sponsors: Samantha Steckloff (district 19), Dale Zorn, Veronica Paiz, Jason Morgan, John Fitzgerald, Kelly Breen, Carrie Rheingans, Noah Arbit, Curtis VanderWall, Erin Byrnes, Emily Dievendorf, Stephanie A. Young
Senate Sponsors: TBD
How Can You Get Involved?
Stay connected for the latest updates. These bills have been referred to the Committee on Insurance and Financial Services. We’ll need your support by contacting your State Representative to request their endorsement of these bills.
Two ways you can take direct action:
Below, you’ll find a collection of resources designed to empower you in taking action. If you’re unsure who to contact, click the buttons below to locate your senator or state representative. If you use the text messaging method, it will automatically find your Representative for you.
Letter Templates for MS Word and PDF
Text to send a letter of support to your Senator.
For letter of support details you can send a text message of ‘Follow letmichildhear‘ to 50409 to receive updates and send a letter of support. The text messaging bot will walk you through the process and send a letter of support on your behalf to the elected officials that represent your district.
Request a discharge to go directly to Senate for vote:
If you are a Deaf and Hard of Hearing ally:
If you are a family member:
If you are a Hard of Hearing or Deaf Constituent:
In The News
- Michigan State University Resource Center
- Michigan Advance
- Michigan Audiology Coalition
Supporting Organizations
• Michigan Coalition for Deaf, Hard of Hearing & DeafBlind People
• Trenton Oral Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program
• Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Michigan Audiology Coalition
• 7C Lingo
• Association for the Advancement of Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Bronson Healthcare / Bronson Healthcare Group
• DeafCAN
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpreting Services, Inc.
• Hearing Loss Association of America – Michigan State Association
• MDisability – Michigan Medicine
• Metropolitan Interpreting Services
• Michigan Disability Rights Coalition
• Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing MI Chapter
• MI School Professionals for Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Screenline, LLC